Frequently asked questions

When the sculptures leave the city streets on 15^th September 2024, they go into temporary accommodation where they are titivated before their next adventures.

The will then move to our Farewell Event venue. This will be your only chance to see all our penguins in one place – before they go to their forever homes.

• After the Farewell Event, the large sculptures will be sold at auction to raise funds for St Richard’s Hospice
• Each penguin chick will return to the schools and community groups which decorated them, as a lasting memento of their involvement in the trail.

Friday 4th – Sunday 6th October 2024

Friday 13th – Sunday 15th October 2024

One-hour slots 10am-6pm daily

Yes, the large penguins will be sold at the charity auction in October – plus one very special penguin chick. The other nestlings will not be available to buy. They will be returned to either their communities or each of the schools who decorated them, as a memento following the summer’s event.

At the end of the eight-week great Waddle of Worcester art trail, there will be chance to see our happy huddle together in one place for the first and final time.

Worcestershire County Cricket Club will host Farewell Events, where all 80 penguins – large and small – will waddle together in this landmark location. Standing within the picturesque setting of the cricket ground, with the backdrop of the cathedral, this is the ultimate selfie opportunity!

Friday 4th – Sunday 6th October 2024
Friday 13th – Sunday 15th October 2024

One-hour slots 10am-6pm daily

Tickets cost £6 per adult and £3 per child (2-17 years), under 2’s go free. Alternatively, you can purchase a Family Ticket (2 adults and up to 3 children) for £15

Once the trail has ended, there will be a final chance to see all 80 sculptures together at Farewell Events. Details for these events can be found here: https://waddleofworcester.co.uk/events/farewell/

Keep your e-ticket safe, as you will be required to show this to gain entry to the event. All attendees will require a ticket to ensure maximum event capacity is not exceeded.

Please arrive no more than 10 minutes prior to your allocated time slot. Late arrivals will be accepted, however access can only be granted during the allocated time slot.

Time slots are 1 hour long and will be been selected at the time of booking – check tickets for details.

Visitors will be asked to leave once the time slot has finished to enable the next wave to enter.

The Farewell Event is being hosted at Worcestershire County Cricket Club, New Road, Worcester. WR2 4QQ.

Access is gained via The Beard Terrace, off New Road, between the club’s main entrance and car park entrance.

The event is across two areas of the venue, with the chicks within the Beard Terrace, which is accessible. The large sculptures are displayed on the cricket pitch grass, therefore during wet weather, consideration may need to be given for grass surfaces. However the ground is firm enough, even during or after wet weather.

Marshalls will be on hand to escort visitors around from one area of the venue to the other.

Accessible toilets are available at the event.

This is an outdoor event, therefore during wet weather, appropriate wet weather footwear and clothing is recommended.

The large sculptures are displayed on the cricket pitch grass, whilst the chicks will be within The Beard Terrace and on the outdoor balcony.

Limited Waddle of Worcester merchandise will be available to purchase, including ‘Waddle down Memory Lane’ trail souvenir guide, sticker books, tea towels, teddies, postcards, pens and pencils (subject to availability). Plus raffle tickets will also be available to buy for £1 each.

Cold soft drinks and limited alcoholic drinks will be available to buy from Piston Distillery, who are operating a mobile bar between 12pm-6pm during the Farewell Events. They will also be selling ‘Popping Penguin Ice cream’ and ‘Piston Penguin Vodka’. A donation will be made to St Richard’s Hospice from all sales.

Dogs are not permitted within the Farewell Event, except for assistance dogs.

Car Parking is available at New Road on a first-come-first-served basis in the Severn Bridge Car Park (which is just before the main entrance to the cricket club). This can be paid by debit/credit card or mobile payment device upon entry only. Blue Badge holders can park for free.

Alternative parking is available at Crowngate Shopping Centre, postcode WR1 3LX or city centre car parks: www.worcester.gov.uk/parking/parking-sites, all are a short, accessible distance to the cricket ground.

Male, female and disabled toilets, plus baby changing facilities are available within the event grounds.

The funds raised by the great Waddle of Worcester and associated events, will help to fund the care provided by St Richard’s Hospice to patients with and illness that can not be cured, their loved ones, and bereaved people across Worcestershire. The hospice relies on the support of the community for the majority of its income, with 20 per cent funded by the NHS.

Yes, the large penguins will be sold at the charity auction in October – plus one very special penguin chick. The other nestlings will not be available to buy. They will be returned to either their communities or each of the schools who decorated them, as a memento following the summer’s event.

The bidding process and all details about the auction are available on our website: https://waddleofworcester.co.uk/auction/

Yes there is! The great Waddle of Worcester App will allow you to:

• Collect penguin sculptures as you go
• Upload your penguin portraits to the gallery
• View your trail progress and share on social media
• Listen to each large sculpture’s information plaque, thanks to the audio provided by BBC Hereford and Worcester.
• Unlock exciting bonus content and learn fascinating facts about Worcester.

The app is available to download from the Google Play store and Apple App store during the trail.

For more details about the app, visit https://waddleofworcester.co.uk/app

You can download the app from the Apple App Store and Google Play – search for ‘Waddle of Worcester 2024’.

The app costs £1.99 to download, with net proceeds going to support St Richard’s Hospice.

Search for ‘Waddle of Worcester 2024’ in the app store.

Check you’re connected to the internet, either Wi-Fi or a mobile network. Then please try again. If you see a message saying you have already registered go to ‘log in’ and log in using the email and password you used to create your account.

Log out via the menu in the top left and log in again this usually resolves the issue. If not, close the app completely and re-open it (or restart your device).

Log out via the menu in the top left and log in again this usually resolves the issue. If not, close the app completely and re-open it (or restart your device).

Use the map; pinch and swipe the map to zoom in and out. Location settings on your phone need to be turned ON to see your location on the map. Or go to the sculptures tab to access the sculpture listings and search for the sculpture name, artist or location.

There is a 4 digit code found on the sculpture plaque. Click COLLECT + and enter the number. You have now collected that sculpture and if you’re lucky, you may have collected a reward at the same time.

You can upload a photo to the app Gallery by clicking Upload on the sculpture page. You’ll be asked to either Take a photo or Choose from library. Images uploaded will be vetted by the team prior to being published on the app. Your photo will be seen by other app players and can be shared on social media. So get creative!

If you’ve already collected a sculpture the app will display an incorrect code message. Check your sculpture listing pages to see if you have already collected it.

If you’re having problems with the app, please let us know by emailing our app support team with the details here.

The great Waddle of Worcester is a free, sculpture trail through the streets, parks and open spaces of Worcester, lasting eight weeks, from 26^th July to 15^th September 2024.

It will feature painted penguin sculptures; 40 big and 40 small, as we celebrate 40 years of hospice care in Worcester.

If anyone knows that kindness is a superpower; it’s the penguin! Caring and compassionate by nature, you’ll see them in a huddle, looking out for each other, when the weather turns. In the hospice’s fortieth year caring for patients and loved ones across Worcestershire, the penguin feels like our perfect spirit animal.

We want our community to know that, just like the penguin, our huddle is here for those with a serious progressive illness and their loved ones experiencing loss, loneliness and bereavement. Together we can weather the storm.

Our sculptures are Yellow-Eyed Penguins. Native to New Zealand.

Penguins are some of the most loveable and loyal creatures on the planet. When the cold winds blow they know they’re better together; huddling close to look after their neighbour. In our fortieth year caring for patients and loved ones, nothing captures the spirit of St Richard’s Hospice better than these beautiful creatures.

Spirit has been created by artist Jess Perrin. His penguin suit features 40 hearts representing each of the hospice’s years of service. Other symbols on his coat mean:

• 373 stars represent patients cared for by our hospice at home team last year
• 247 diamonds represent the patients cared for on our in-Patient unit last year
• 282 circles represent those individuals supported with physiotherapy last year
• 138 moons represent the occupational therapy assessments we carried out last year
• 17 triangles represent in-Patient hospice beds

Unique to New Zealand, the yellow-eyed penguin is thought to be one of the world’s rarest penguin species.

Their Māori name, hoiho, means ‘noise shouter’ and refers to their shrill call made at breeding sites.

Hoiho will be joined by 39 other penguin chicks for the great Waddle of Worcester. While Hoiho was created by artist Jess Perrin, his 39 fellow nestlings will be designed and painted by schools and community groups across the county.

The great Waddle of Worcester is a Wild in Art event brought to the city by St Richard’s Hospice.

The great Waddle of Worcester is supported by Presenting Partners; Crowngate, DRPG,  Worcester City Council and Worcestershire Ambassadors, Community and Education Partner; Worcester BID and Media Partners; the Worcester News and BBC Hereford & Worcester.

We also have all our Penguin and Event partners and sponsors, who are fundamental to this project. To find out more, visit https://waddleofworcester.co.uk/sponsors/

Our team would be delighted to meet you to discuss this opportunity to align your business with one of Worcester’s best loved charities and help make a difference in our community for years to come.

Contact Sara Matthews – Business Development Manager at St Richard’s Hospice; [email protected] or 01905 958278.

The great Waddle of Worcester is about partnerships. It aims to bring together the business and creative sectors with local communities and schools, to celebrate the character of the area and its cultural identity. This world-class, large-scale public event will:

• Provide a trail through Worcester city centre, parks and open spaces, encouraging thousands to become a ‘tourist in their own county’ and discover or rediscover their community
• Increase awareness, footfall and visitor spend
• Engage local and regional professional artists
• Provide a unified platform for businesses and organisations to engage with their own communities and customers
• Create an education programme for schools, using creativity as a learning device
• Attract regional and national visitors to Worcester and the surrounding areas
• Showcase the creativity of Worcester, its heritage, architecture and culture
• Provide community engagement, fun and excitement!

To encourage full participation in this most exciting project and to help St Richard’s Hospice raise as much as possible, there are a wide range of sponsorship opportunities on offer. Each level provides a variety of benefits to suit your marketing, public relations and corporate social responsibility objectives.

Contact Sara Matthews – Business Development Manager at St Richard’s Hospice; [email protected] or 01905 958278.

Your sponsorship will help to:

• Play an important part in animating Worcester and creating an unforgettable atmosphere in the county during the summer of 2024
• Significantly raise brand awareness for your business in a unique and memorable way through long term exposure (12-18 months)
• Showcase and bring footfall to your place of business
• Demonstrate your own corporate creativity, engage your staff, customers and associates with your uniquely designed sculpture
• Stimulate the economy. On average visitors spent £27 during their visit to Worcester’s Big Parade and visited an average of four times or more!
• Benefit through association with your own ‘feel good’ stories in media, internal communications and trade publications
• Create community engagement, pride and integration
• Increase sales – 94% felt that WBP helped to promote their business to those in and around Worcester and 88% felt it had a direct impact on their organisation and revenue
• Corporate social responsibility – support a local charity and raise significant sums for St Richard’s Hospice through the auction of your elephant at the end of the project

To encourage full participation in this most exciting project and to help St Richard’s Hospice raise as much as possible, there are a wide range of sponsorship opportunities on offer. Each level provides a variety of benefits to suit your marketing, public relations and corporate social responsibility objectives.

Wild in Art events are hugely popular wherever they take place, offering an excellent return on your investment whether that be staff engagement, supporting local initiatives or driving sales and footfall.

There is limited availability in each category, so we are standing by to get creative with you so we can ensure you get maximum benefit by being involved with the great Waddle of Worcester.

Let us ‘huddle’ and help get your business messages heard, drive customers to your door, create partnerships across the city and be part of this exceptional event.

Contact Sara Matthews – Business Development Manager at St Richard’s Hospice; [email protected] or 01905 958278.

Projects of this kind in similar sized cities have demonstrated an uplift in visitor numbers, increased spend, with people staying longer.

Worcester’s Big Parade success*

In the summer of 2021, Worcester’s Big Parade was the first opportunity for the community to reconnect. It brought together friends, families, colleagues and communities after months of covid restrictions. The parade created lots of fun, excitement, smiles and visitors to our city once more!

It also had a significant economic impact on Worcester.

• 96% of visitors said the trail had inspired them to stay longer than usual in the city and almost half visited four times or more!
• On average they spent £27 during their visit, with 40% spending over £40 in a single trip.
• 72% said they explored parts of the city they wouldn’t normally visit
• 56%+ said they posted on social media before, during and after visiting and it was the most common way people heard about the trail
• 18,000+ paper trail maps were collected from outlets across the city
• 94% of sponsors felt that the trail helped to promote their business to those in and around Worcester
• 88% of sponsors believe Worcester’s Big Parade had a positive impact on their business
• £368,800 raised at auction St Richard’s Hospice

* WBP Evaluation Project carried out independently my MEL Research – August 2022.

We appealed for artists across the country to submit designs. Of the designs we received, 40 were selected to become the decoration you see for our large penguins today, chosen by our sculpture sponsors. Schools and community groups decorated all the chicks, using various means to select their chosen designs; whether that be whole group projects, competitions or selected individuals.

All the big Penguin sculptures are sponsored by different companies in the region and beyond, the penguin chicks have been paid for by different schools and community groups in the region or, a company has kindly sponsored a chick for them.

The great Waddle of Worcester is a full cost recovery project and its thanks to our partners and sponsors that we are able to put the trail on.

The big penguins are 1600mm tall and weigh approx. 30kg each.

The penguin chicks are 1000mm tall and weigh approx. 15kg each.

Wild in Art is the leading producer of spectacular public art events that entertain, enrich, inform and leave a lasting legacy. It brings together businesses and creative sectors with schools and local communities through the creation of uniquely painted sculptures.

Since 2008 Wild in Art has animated cities across the world including Manchester, Sydney, Auckland, Cape Town and São Paulo, and created trails for the London 2012 Olympics, the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Historic Royal Palaces and Penguin Random House.

Wild in Art events have:

Enabled over £23.6m to be raised for charitable causes

Injected £3.8m into local creative communities

Engaged over 1 million young people in learning programmes

Helped millions of people of all ages to experience art in non-traditional settings

wildinart.co.uk | @wildinart | #wildinart

Monday, 22^nd July 2024 to Sunday, 15^th September 2024

The trail is completely free and can be enjoyed over and over again, throughout the summer of 2024. However, there are lots of ways you can support St Richard’s Hospice throughout the trail period and beyond.

The big penguin sculptures will be positioned within a one-mile radius of Worcester city centre.

The chicks will be positioned throughout Crowngate Shopping Centre, and a few select shop windows throughout the city centre. Locations can be found on trail maps, an activity booklet or on the trail app which is downloadable from the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store when the trail is live.

The trail is approximately five miles, using the route suggested on the trail map. This equates to around 13,500 steps and will take around two-three hours to complete.

It will take approximately two-three hours to complete the full trail, following the map and allowing for selfies! You don’t have to complete it all at once and can break the route up into smaller trips.

From 22nd July, our printed trail maps are available from the following locations:

WADDLE HQ & SHOP
14 Chapel Walk
Crowngate Shopping Centre
Worcester
WR1 3LD

(by House of Fraser and the rear of Boots)

OPENING TIMES
Monday – Sunday
10am – 4pm
Please note our HQ will close permanently at 4pm on Sunday 15th September 2024.

WORCESTER TOURIST INFORMATION CENTRE
The Guildhall
High Street
Worcester
WR1 2EY

OPENING TIMES
Monday – Friday 9:30 am–5 pm
Saturday 10 am–4 pm
Sunday Closed

Also available from St Richard’s Hospice Shops across Worcestershire. For details, visit St Richard’s Shops page

MAP – £1

We also have a Penguin Passport and Sticker book, with a map in the centre pages, nestled between activity and colouring activities to enjoy whilst waddling the trail.

PENGUIN PASSPORT & STICKER BOOK – £5 

Alternatively, download the Waddle of Worcester app to discover the sculptures, collect rewards and track your trail steps with the pedometer.

WADDLE OF WORCESTER APP – £1.99

Funds raised from the sale of merchandise will help St Richard’s to improve patients’ quality of life from diagnosis, during treatment and to their last days.

Parking is available across the whole city. Visit the Worcester City Council website: www.worcester.gov.uk/parking for details of its car parks.

Crowngate Shopping Centre has a multi-storey car park in the heart of the city, which is home to Shopmobility for visitors with mobility issues arising from disability, injury or illness. Visit Crowngate’s website www.crowngate-worcester.co.uk/find-us/#parking to find out more.

All of the sculpture locations are accessible for wheelchair and pushchair users.

Please note: Fort Royal Park (location number 10) has multiple entrances. Assessible steps are via Wyld’s Lane. Alternatively follow the path along Wyld’s Lane around to Fort Royal Hill road and into the park.

Don’t worry if you can’t make it to Fort Royal Park, as you can still see the sculpture from the roadside in Sidbury. Look out for the floor sticker indicating the best place to stand!

The Art of Giving is an interactive experience created by DRPG as part of their support of St Richard’s Hospice, located outside the Waddle Shop.

Giving is at the core of what St Richard’s do, be it time, support or care, and what better way to symbolise this than with the beautiful act of penguins giving pebbles as a token of love.

Get involved by creating your own unique pebble artwork, uploading it to The Art of Giving site and then heading to Crowngate Shopping Centre to see it brought to life in your own personalised animation.

• Users must take a photo of their artwork on the template, including the markers.
• Go to the Art of Giving website: taog.uk
• Click the Upload Artwork button and complete all the required details.
• Artwork will be sent for moderation by the team.
• Once accepted users will receive an email with a unique activation code.
• Head to the installation in Crowngate, outside the Waddle shop.
• Input the code on the tablet at the installation and see your artwork come to life!

Please report any issues via our Damage Reporting Hotline: 01905 610065 (option 1).

Where possible, please provide one or more of the following; Sculpture Name, Location No (both of these can be found on the plaque located on the top of the plinth with each sculpture), or the location of the sculpture. Shop names or landmarks can be helpful.

Alternatively, you can fill in a Sculpture Damage Report form online.

The great Waddle of Worcester is a Wild in Art event brought to the city by St Richard’s Hospice.

Integral to the main event is the Community & Education Programme, which will open to all schools and community groups in Worcestershire in September 2023. We will invite schools, youth clubs, community groups and children’s services to get involved and share the amazing experience of the great Waddle of Worcester.

Penguin chick sculptures will accompany our great big penguins, exhibited in clusters within Crowngate Shopping Centre and selected shops within the city. The nestlings will complement and add value to the main great Waddle art trail, showcasing the creativity of groups within our community.

Once the waddle has drawn to a close, the colourful sculptures will be returned to their creators as a permanent legacy.

Applications for this scheme will open in September 2023, via a Ballot.

Following unprecedented interest in our Community & Education Programme, we want to ensure our nestling nurturers are chosen in the fairest way possible. So, this time, schools and groups must enter a Penguin Chick Ballot, for a chance to take part in the Waddle.

The Penguin Chick Ballot is a random draw for schools and community groups, to be a part of the Community and Education Programme associated with the Waddle of Worcester Art Trail. The programme provides supported learning activities, alongside a Medium-size penguin chick sculpture, that will be a part of an art trail around Worcester City Centre in the summer of 2024. Following a Farewell Event at the end of the summer, the penguin chicks will return to the schools and community groups that decorated them, as a lasting legacy to their involvement in the Waddle.

There is no guarantee that your application will be successful. Entry into the Penguin Chick Ballot does not automatically entitle applicants to a sculpture, but to a place in the draw.

The Ballot has now closed.

The Ballot will open on Monday 4th September 2023 and close on Friday 15th September 2023 at 5pm.

Successful applicants will be notified by email by 5pm on Wednesday 20th September 2023.

Once the Ballot closes, entries will be checked for duplications to ensure only one entry per school/ group is entered into the Ballot. Each individual school/ group entry will then be assigned a unique number. These numbers will be entered into an online randomiser, which will select the successful entries.

Only one entry per school/ community group will go into the ballot, however all those who entered that particular school or group will be notified by email.

Depending on the option selected on your Ballot form, will depend on when payment will need to be made, as follows:

Self-Funded
£800
Buy your sculpture outright, with no fundraising commitment. An invoice will be issued in September 2023, payable within 7 days.

Fundraising Pledge 
£1,300
Commit to raising a minimum of £1,300 for St Richard’s Hospice (£650 by the end of January 2024 and £650 by the end of September 2024). If not enough funds have been raised, an invoice for the outstanding amount will be issued.

Sponsored by a third party
£1,100
A business or individual can sponsor your sculpture on your behalf. An invoice will be issued in September 2023, payable within 7 days.

Yes, there will be lots of ways that your community will be able to be involved with the Waddle of Worcester!

We will be working on ideas and suggestions over the next few months and sharing these will everyone who has expressed an interest in the Community and Education Programme.

Whilst it won’t involve decorating a Penguin Chick for the trail itself, there will be whole school/group activity suggestions, so you can still feel very much a part of this city-wide initiative and fundraiser for St Richard’s Hospice.

Community & Education Programme Timeline

8th February 2024
All participating schools and groups will be invited to a ‘Learner Programme Inspiration Event’. Schools and Groups will join a workshop, where we’ll showcase how to maximise learning, marketing, fundraising, exposure and engagement opportunities throughout the waddle. Each chick will be issued with a Learning Programme Pack which will include design inspiration for the penguin chick and guidelines for materials to use.

16th February 2024
Penguin chicks will be available for schools to collect from a location in Worcester City Centre.

16th February – 3rd May 2024
All penguin chicks are decorated by schools and community groups in readiness for the Waddle of Worcester. Decoration themes can be chosen by the school/group. Full details and ideas are within the Learning Resource Pack which will be issued with each penguin chick.

26^th April 2024
Deadline for completing an online ‘Design submission form’ so we can create a plaque and include details of each penguin chick on the Waddle of Worcester website and app, as well as in other promotional material.

3^rd May 2024
All sculptures must be returned, in readiness for the trail.

22^nd July 2024
Official opening of the Waddle of Worcester Art Trail – 10am

22^nd July 2024 – 15^th September 2024
For 8 weeks, all penguin sculptures will be displayed around Worcester city centre, with chicks located within Crowngate Shopping Centre and selected shop windows/locations, forming a free public art trail.

September – October 2024
All the sculptures are brought together for one last time, at a ‘Farewell Event’, which is a ticketed event, open to the public. Visitors have the chance to say a final farewell, before the sculptures head off to their forever homes.

From 16^th October 2024
All penguin chicks will be available for collection from a Worcester city centre location, where they will return to the schools and community groups who decorated them, creating a lasting legacy of involvement in the Waddle of Worcester.

Schools and Groups collect their penguin chick sculptures from a Worcester city centre location – by prior appointment ONLY.

The penguin goes home to the school/ group who decorated them, as a lasting legacy of their involvement in the Waddle of Worcester.

Whilst the large sculptures are auctioned in October, to raise vital funds for St Richard’s Hospice, to help us continue our care.

There are two stages to the selection process;

Stage 1: the initial submissions will be shortlisted to 120 designs. Artists will be notified if their designs have been shortlisted to stage 2.

Stage 2: Sculpture sponsors will attend a selection event, where they will select their chosen design to adorn their sculpture.

Successful Artists will be notified following the Selection Event, which will take place in March 2024.

If commissioned, you will be paid! There is an award of £900. Payment will be made in 2 instalments; 50% in March 2024 and 50% on return of the completed sculpture.

Some artists may choose to waiver this fee in support of St Richard’s Hospice, the beneficiary charity of the great Waddle of Worcester but this isn’t an expectation.

The Penguin Sculpture will be provided to you at no charge. However, cost of all materials, is your responsibility, with the exception of the varnish, which will be provided.

Painting will take place in a public painting space located in Worcester City. Should you choose to paint your sculpture elsewhere, you will be responsible for associated collection and delivery costs, along with insurance.

You will need to be available to paint a penguin for a period between Monday 18th March – Friday 3rd May 2024, allowing yourself enough time to complete the decoration process, varnish and drying time.

Following the trail event, the penguin sculptures will be auctioned in October 2024 to raise money for St Richard’s Hospice.

Full details of the Artist Programme can be found on our Artists Page. Please ensure you read our Artist Terms and Conditions before submitting a design.